A woman who recently underwent abdominal surgery can stand in prayer, but experiences pain when bowing entirely for sujūd. Sitting for the prayer also causes discomfort when trying to lower the head. Is it permissible for her to place a pillow on the prayer mat or beneath it, and rest her head on it during sujūd? What is the Islamic ruling in such a case?

In the Shari‘ah, ease and removal of hardship are foundational principles, especially in acts of worship. Allah ﷻ says:

“Allah does not burden a soul beyond what it can bear.”
(Surat al-Baqarah, 2:286)

And He also says:

“And He has not placed upon you in the religion any hardship.”
(Surat al-Hajj, 22:78)

If a person is unable to perform sujūd normally due to pain, injury, or medical restriction, then Islam allows flexibility in how the prayer is performed. The general rule, agreed upon by all four Sunni madhhabs, is that:

• If a person can stand, they must stand.
• If they cannot bow (ruku‘) or prostrate (sujūd) fully, they should gesture with their head as much as they can — even if only slightly — and the sujūd should be made lower than the ruku‘.
• If even head movement is painful or harmful, they may gesture with the eyes or simply with the intention, and the prayer remains valid.

In your mother’s case, if sujūd on the floor causes pain, and she is unable to lower her head fully, then she is not required to perform full sujūd on the ground. Instead, she may:

1. Gesture sujūd by lowering her head slightly (even a minimal movement is sufficient if that is all she can do).
2. If bending the head even slightly causes pain, she may gesture with her eyes or with intention only, and Allah will accept her prayer.

As for using a pillow or other elevated object (on or under the mat), scholars have permitted this as a supportive aid in certain situations, provided:

• The object is not too high, and
• The gesture of sujūd is symbolic of prostration, not a replacement for the full act when one is capable.

If resting her head on a low pillow or soft cushion helps reduce pain and makes it easier for her to focus in prayer, then this is permissible, based on the principle of necessity and ease. It would be better to place the pillow directly on the mat, rather than underneath, so the forehead is still symbolically placed in sujūd.

However, she should not strive to force herself to do more than what her body allows, especially if it will delay her healing or increase her suffering. The reward remains complete, as the Prophet ﷺ said:

“If a servant becomes ill or travels, Allah writes for him (the reward of) what he used to do when he was healthy and resident.”
(Sahih al-Bukhari)